Friday, January 20, 2012

Well, crap.

Back to the drawing board.  I had this HUGE list of seeds for one company, and then I find out they aren't reliable.

So...back to the seed catalogs.  Since I can't get the larger quantities of the seeds I wanted, I am consoling myself with smaller quantities and more varieties.  I have two pages of nothing but tomato seeds.

I'll be doing more seed crops...meaning I will plant certain crops to harvest mainly for seed for the following year.  That works out pretty well, since I get a packet of seeds for a few bucks, but not many seeds, then one tomato can yield a LOT of seed for future use.

That doesn't work quite as well with squash, though.  Squash tends to cross. I ended up with some interesting varieties last year.  I had delicata that crossed with acorn, which looked an awful lot like the carnival variety.  I think that's how those came about, originally, but went on to become a more stable variety.  Some hybrid plants are prone to reverting to parent fruits.  It's all pretty interesting.  Fortunately, I don't mind crossed squash, and enjoy the occasional surprise variety.  The striped spaghetti squash were really pretty.

But when it comes to selling plants at market, most people prefer to know what they are getting.  Sometimes, there are surprises there, as well.  I bought some Oxheart seed, and when the plants fruited, what I got was most definitely not Oxheart.  Thankfully, my customers didn't complain.

I had a problem just last year, when I planted a slew of cherry tomatoes, and ended up with, well, not cherry tomatoes.  I'm hoping for better luck this year.  I don't feel too bad, since I know this happens even at big commercial greenhouses.  Nature can be tricky.

Oh...yeah...about the greenhouse.

Squish.

Yes, squish.  The wind was insane, caught the plastic, and broke a leg on the frame.  That, my dear, is what I get for buying the cheap frame.  The whole thing is salvageable. We can rebuild it.  We have the technology.  We can make it better, stronger, faster...um..the bionic greenhouse?  As long as it doesn't cost six million, right? lol Sorry...caught up in a flashback there.  So...as soon as the snow melts, the greenhouse will be reassembled and reinforced.  No more wind nightmares.  It really was a nightmare...I had to run out there and take the darn thing apart during the wind storm just to keep the rest of the frame from being torn all to bits.  Ever been inside a bag of microwave popcorn? That's how it felt, with the plastic blowing this way and that, ballooning around me and smacking me around. ( I can't hold it..she's breaking up! She's breaking up!) (Where is Steve Austin when you need him??)  And then I had to crawl out from under all the plastic and pile everything I could find on it to keep it from blowing away...and taking me with it.  Oh...for pete's sake...stop laughing.

I'll be starting seeds this coming week, greenhouse or no...I have spring fever.

 Must. Play. In. Dirt.

4 comments:

Carolyn said...

I'm telling ya....we're all going to have to get "intervention" for our seed & dirt cravings.

Country Wife said...

I pity da fool who gets between me and my seeds! (Oy...it's a flashback kinda day to old tv shows.)

Kevin said...

And the whole time the wind was sayin'...

damnit Jim... I'm giving her all I got. She's just too much for me.

and from inside the greenhouse.... If this keeps up... I don't think we will be in Ohio anymore Toto!

Country Wife said...

Kevin, you crack me up!